Using current methods, 10-12 minutes are required for a donor to donate blood, while 30 minutes or longer are required for a donor to donate plasma or platelets. The population willing to donate through apheresis is much smaller than the blood donation population because of the increased time involved. This has become a problem as the need for plasma or platelets has greatly increased.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need for a combined plasmapheresis/red cell or platelet collection apparatus and method for obtaining standard units of blood components with hematocrit in the 65-70% range which is also capable of collecting volumes of plasma with option of platelets of approximately 400 ml in 20 minutes or less from a single donor.